Wagon-box fastener.



F. ABRAMS.

WAGON BOX PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED mus, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15,1910.

INVENTOR WITNESSES FRED ABRAE'LS, OF MINDEN, NEBRASKA.

WAGON-BOX FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

Application filed May 6, 1999. Serial No. 494,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED ABRAMS, citizen of the United States, residingat Minden, in the county of Kearney and State of Ne-' 'braska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in W agon-Box Fasteners, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wagon-box fasteners, and the object thereof isto provide a simple and inexpensive device to grapple the upper edge ofa wagon-box, and connect the same to a bolster of the wagon body, thuspermitting the use of a selected number of such devices, in connectionwith the wagon as is deemed necessary in consideration of the load orthe style of the wagon.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, and form apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wagon box,illustrating the same disposed upon the bolsters and reach of a wagonbody. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the bolster-engaging anchor plate.Fig. 3 is a similar view of one of the grappling irons. Fig. 4 is asimilar view of the other of the grappling irons, and, Fig. 5 is asimilar view of the spring housing plate.

In the embodiment of my invention, as shown, I provide grappling ironsor hooks 1 and 2, each of which comprises a relatively straight barhaving a hook 3, formed upon one end, and having the opposite endthereof bent at right angles thereto, and provided with an extremitybent parallel with the said bar, the member 2 being as shown,substantially shorter than the member 1. The grappling irons or hooks 1and 2 are disposed with their angularly bent ends over the upper edge ofa wagon body A, and extend downwardly and parallel upon the outersurface of said wagon box, with their hooked ends 3 lowermost. Thehooked ends 3 of the grappling irons 1 and 2, are connected by a chain5, which extends beneath the bolster B of the wagon body, and throughselected apertures 6 in the downwardly and angularly bent ends 7 ofanchor plate 8, provided centrally with an outstanding prong or spike 9,for engagement upwardly within the material of said bolster B, as shownin F ig. 1, thus preventing lateral displacementof the chain 5.

In order that the device may be tensioned at all times, the connectionsbetween the hooked ends 3 of grappling irons 1 and 2, which in thepresent case, comprise chain 5,

should have an elastic section, and to this end I provide said chain intwo sections, one of which extends from the grappling iron 1, throughanchor plate 8, beneath bolster B, and constituting the longer sectionas will be seen, and the other section of which comprises a relativelyshort piece extending from the end of grappling iron 2, the free ends ofsaid chain sections being connected by a retractile coil spring 10. inorder to prevent a continual rubbing of spring 10 against wagon box 8,to the detriment of both, I provide a housing for said spring,comprising a plate 11 which has angularly bent ends 12, provided withcentral aper' tures 13, through which connected ends of the chainsections pass, to permit the spring 10 to lie wholly between said ends,with plate 11 flat against the wagon-box A, and thus between saidwagon-box and said spring.

The chain 5 may of course, be adjusted any length to adapt the device towagonboxes of different heights by making said chain as shown, longerthan necessary, and engaging a selected link adjacent one end with thehook 8 of grappling iron 2.

Having fully described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a wagon-box fastener of the character described, the combinationwith a wagon comprising bolsters and a box disposed thereon, ofgrappling hooks for engagement with said box, an anchor plate havingmeans to immovably engage one of said bolsters, and connection betweensaid anchor plate and said hooks, embodying an elastic section,substantially as described.

2. In a wagon-box fastener of the character described, the combinationwith a wagon comprising bolsters and a box disposed thereon, ofgrappling hooks for engagement with said box, an anchor plate havingmeans for immovably and detachably engaging one of said bolsters andadjustable connections between said anchor plate and said hooks,mbodying an elastic section, substantially as described.

8. In a wagon-box fastener of the character described, the combinationwith a wagon comprising bolsters and a box disposed thereon, ofgrappling hooks for engagement with said box, connections between thefree ends of said hooks embodying an elastic member, said connectionspassing beneath one of said bolsters, and means for preventing lateralmovement of said connections with respect to said bolster, substantiallyas described.

4. In a wagon-box fastener of the character described, the combinationwith a wagon, comprising bolsters and a box disposed thereon, ot'grappling hooks for engagement with said box, adjustable sectionsbetween the free ends of said hooks, said sections embodying an elasticsection, and passing beneath one of said bolsters, and an anchor platethrough which said connections pass, having means to immovably engagesaid bolster, substantially as described.

5. In a wagon-box fastener of the character described, the combinationwith a wagon, comprising bolsters and a 130K disposed necting saidsections, and a housing for said spring to prevent the contact thereofwith said box, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED ABRAMS.

Witnesses S. M. GODFREY, G. L. GODFREY.

